The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-02
LEONARD uAMLIN, .
Lieutenant First Missouri Cavalry. !.
Born in st Louis, Aug 10, 1921. {.
Died near Bent's Fort, July %, 1876. I:


Then on went the Army Of the West
ON to Las Vegas. Santa Fe, Old Mexico and
Calilornia-to do famous deeds Of valOr, to
bring new glory to the starry flag. and to
west from the foen,srn princely addition
to the territory of the United tastes. East
ward again went no army with banners, no
dragons with u lance and saber, no bat
teri,s with bright field pieces and heavy
cais>ons There went only onc mana
courier. who rode like the wind, changing
his horses ut frequent intervals. ami
lodging the Sioux and O>lg.-~ as Inc cove red
league after league of the long route. At
last hc gallope,i. safe and sound, into West
port. and the river being high, was not de
tanned un the steamer. When he arrived
AT - Louis the news he brought spread
rapidly, and people stopped to discuss it at
street corners, anil the papers, under fam
IN. headlines. told how the gallant little
Army of the West. with many OF tho
ut Missouri enrolled therein, had gone
Sallantly on To the border Only in two
houses Mere there stricken hearts and sore
dislrts - and weeping for him who would
ncv.r return. but lay sleeping under the
walls vt iscut'S tort y father appeared at
his post of duty with the hagGard look of
who has grown suddenly older by
years; "A mother sat speochlcSs and with
dreaming eyes at western window, and
lfyttY Ruth Chandreu. Whose finger
s.Oc the diamond IT an engagement
ring, torNoo'S society ami, clad in the SOM
bSr l;rLyat.' of woe, gave herself wholly to
works of charity and mercy.
Tho years rolled ON, and time, with heal
in, touch, soothcd the suffering and com
to.ted the mourning.
Nearly forty years had passed and what
wondrous change had they wrought, Near
the spot where the rough frontiersmen
used to pack the great wagons ami make up
the trains for the route to- Santa Fee stood
the iar.rc. prosperous, busy, growing
troYolh; OF western Missouri Kansas City.
Ir;An its commotiious Union depot went
trains; ut u far different character from
tho-a of old TIMES To them were attached
not patient oxen snor refractory mules, hut
:r@t engines; and OH them were not the
i.:ts canvas topped ships of the plains, -
hut i"n.; csfS bright as to color and luxu-
.s.I-Ls'; to interior. Hour after hour forth
Went these trains, bound on schedule time,
nve.. what had not long ago been u wild
EHd i,pii,a haunted stretch of land, the
tEoU-y ram. ami the Spanish peaks, to tho
Wahsctcaen, tho San.sre dc Cristo and Sierra
!,c.Sela; To- Denver, San Francisco, Paso
al Nutte and the city of the Montezumas.
Il VAS beautiful July morning and
there va, tremendous hustle at the sta
tion; h-tt above all the roar AMI rattle the
noise 81 the shouting. the babel CT tongues,
one heard plainly the cry:
'-hundcrbolt express for Pueblo and
Tcu.cr. through without change. All
aboard" And then with quick pulls Of
white steam and changing of bell AMI
gathering speed, the locomotive drew the
long train ous of the yard and whirled 1t
away upon tae prairie. The engineer, with
hand "a throttle and quick eye ahead, set
tied himself sidewise on his bench; the
express messenger, girded with cartridge
belt, bcsa, checking his way bill, and the
Pullman porter, with practised eye, took
account of the passengers in the new sleep
ing car "Wanatoya." ''Golly,'' said he,
under his breath, If dere amt ole Uncle